Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Second reading Philippians 1:20-24, 27
It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel.
Jesus said to his disciples: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.’
When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.
Now when the first came they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Reflection
By Ma. Rosalina S. Flores
When I was in high school, our substitute Math teacher gave us a quiz. I was happy because I topped the exam, 98% if I remembered it right. My hard work in solving algebraic expressions paid off. As someone who was known in class for not copying and never allowing others to copy from me, getting the highest score was really an achievement. But, I never expected the next scenario, as the teacher said that my score will also benefit my classmates who were exempted from the exam, for they represented our school to a Math Quiz Bee the other day, although they did not qualify. My score in the test will be their scores too. I must admit that I felt like being cheated. I could not comprehend the wisdom behind the decision. Since they were exempted, I did not mind if the teacher just give them 100%, but please do not make us even by giving them the same score as mine. Because it seemed to me that I took the exam for them which I found unfair. I was the one who planted but others harvested. When the teacher finished his three-month stay in our school was the point that I let go of my bitterness and accepted his wisdom although I did not fully understand.
In today's Gospel, the vineyard workers were also upset because of the good treatment of the landowner towards the latecomer laborers. Even though the latecomers worked for only one hour, they still received the usual daily wage, equal amount as the pay of those workers who toiled the day's burden and the heat. Despite the grumbling, the landowner stood firm on his decision and generosity.
At first glance, because we think as humans, we will surely agree that the landowner was quite unfair. Why did he give equal pay to each one of them? In the normal job setup, people are paid according to the number of hours they worked for. Those who work less will receive less, and those who work more will be given more - daily minimum wage plus overtime if necessary. But as the Prophet Isaiah proclaimed in our First Reading today, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD", the wisdom and actions of God as symbolized by the landowner in the parable cannot be fully figured out. There are things in our life that cannot be explained because events will unfold according to God's plan and timing. We just have to trust Him.
Another issue presented in the Gospel is human's selfishness compare to God's generosity. Men are naturally selfish but God is ever generous. From the time He created the world and us, to the giving of His own beloved Son to save us from our sins, God will never be outdone in generosity. And that became the problem of the vineyard workers; they felt insecure on how generous the landowner was – a trait that they do not possess. We should be cautious of the two faces of human's selfishness as described in today's Gospel: the desire to be the sole recipient of one's generosity known as greed and the envy towards others' goodness.
Today's parable is also a reminder to all of us that knowing Jesus is a constant call. It does not mean that we heed His call earlier than the others; we are far better and can be sure of eternal life. In fact, those who are following Jesus at this point in time must be more vigilant because they could fall to the sins of complacency and pride. The early the call, the long road to walk on, but rest assured that Jesus is there as our great companion in the journey. And those who will be heeding the call lastly should not be worried, too. Because just like the repentant thief on the cross who was brought by Jesus to paradise, there is no late and last, but always God's perfect timing of changing a stoned-heart. We will be saved by God's grace and not by our good deeds.
Prayer
Lord, teach me to be generous in love as You are to me and all. Give me a heart that finds delight on your generosity to others. Likewise, let me heed Your call now, for journeying with You is always the best and most certain in this world. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
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